


A Night With a Friend

by kitlovesty



Category: bungou stray dogs
Genre: Converstaion, Drinking, Friendship, M/M, Soukoku, Walking together, mention of old skk, reference to dark era dazai, reference to odasaku, solving some issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-11
Updated: 2019-11-11
Packaged: 2021-01-28 21:37:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21399049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitlovesty/pseuds/kitlovesty
Summary: “A truce does not mean you become my best friend,” Kunikida said holding the eye contact. “What do you want?”Chuuya hummed and took a sip from his wine. “I don’t actually want anything, Kunikida-kun” he said honestly. “Though I am going to ask for a favor.”“And what is it?”“I want you to be Dazai’s friend.”
Relationships: Dazai Osamu/Nakahara Chuuya (Bungou Stray Dogs), Kunikida Doppo/Nakahara Chuuya (Bungou Stray Dogs)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 50





	A Night With a Friend

Chuuya Nakahara was sitting alone in a bar counter.

He watched the wine dancing inside of his glass as he held it on eye level. It was easy to see the blood of his enemies in the red liquid. Easy to drink and swallow and savour the taste it left on his tongue.

Someone placed to the seat next to him. He did not look to see as he already knew who it was. Chuuya was the one to call him here after all.

“What do you want, Nakahara?” Said the man. The hostile tone in his voice made him smile. He placed the glass on the counter and followed the circle pattern of it with his gloved finger.

“Why the animosity?” Asked Chuuya calmly and turned to look at Kunikida, Dazai’s new partner, the smile never leaving his lips. “I thought we had a truce.”

Kunikida’s eyes were cautious. He looked as if he was expecting to be attacked at any time. Kunikida was trying to hide it though, yet Chuuya could tell anyway. It took one look to the man’s tense shoulders. However, he could not blame him. They were still enemies, a truce simply would not change that.

“A truce does not mean you become my best friend,” Kunikida said holding the eye contact. “What do you want?”

Chuuya hummed and took a sip from his wine. “I don’t actually want anything, Kunikida-kun,” he said honestly. “Though I am going to ask for a favour.”

“And what is it?”

“I want you to be Dazai’s friend.”

There was an expected silence. Chuuya thought about this conversation a lot, planning on what to say, how to say, or even _should or shouldn’t_ say. It was quite possible this was a bad idea all along. Yet it was too late to regret it now.

“I am sorry?” Said Kunikida with a confused tone in his voice. Well, that was expected too. “You want me to be Dazai’s friend? I _already_ am. What do you mean by—”

“You _think_ you are Dazai’s friend. But what do you know about him?” Asked Chuuya facing the other man without ever avoiding his gaze, feeling rather serious. “Did you even know he was formerly from the Port Mafia? When did you learn it exactly?”

The look on Kunikida’s eyes hardened. Chuuya noticed his lips forming a thin line and watched the moment his words sink into the other man. It took less than Chuuya expected for Kunikida to collect himself. He adjusted his glasses and sit more straight in his seat.

“Would you mind explaining yourself Chuuya-Kun?”

Chuuya smiled. “Well, that’s more like it.” He finished his glass and gestured to the bartender to fill it up. It wasn’t until then he realized that Kunikida did not order anything. “You are not drinking?”

“No,” he said simply. “It affects my schedule.”

He could not help but laugh. “I remember Dazai saying something like that.”

Kunikida did not respond directly but Chuuya heard him muttering under his breath, _that bastard_. He could not agree more.

“Do you know he had a friend called Oda back when he was in the Mafia?”

The blond man frowned slightly, indicating that he in fact did not know. “No.”

Chuuya turned his attention to his now full glass of wine. Taking it in his hand yet staring at it with lost eyes instead of drinking. “Dazai had never said to me the reason he left but I think I know.” He took a sip this time, his mind wandering with thoughts of the past, the memories which should have been long forgotten yet still lingering in the will of his mind.

“Oda died the day Dazai left. He was not an important member actually. I remember hearing rumours about him that he never killed. Yet Dazai thought he was strong, very much indeed. They were really good friends.” He paused, squinting his eyes. “Or the closest _that bastard_ ever had as a friend. He was not a very friendly person you see.” Chuuya looked at Kunikida who was listening to him with a careful expression. He seemed interested. But it was obvious that he couldn’t relate. He had no idea about that Dazai after all. Kunikida was a lucky man at that.“The Demon Prodigy. It was what they called him. He was the devil himself. I think even the devil would run away if he were to come across with him.”

It was a long time ago but that was not something he would be able to forget no matter how many years had passed. Chuuya remembered looking at Dazai’s dead eyes. He remembered thinking that there was no possible way to resurrect them. No way to stop the cold-blooded way he had killed people. Guilty, innocent, friend or fore. It had not mattered to him. Everything about him was black. Inanimate yet deep and uncanny. Chuuya himself was not and still not an innocent man. He had blood in his hands too. But he was always aware of that fact. Dazai had just seemed like he did not. Like killing was as easy and natural as breathing.

“Why are you telling me all this?”

For a moment Chuuya was surprised to hear another voice. He forgot Kunikida was even there. Blinking his eyes a few times Chuuya took a weary breath. He tried to ignore the voice lurking inside of his brain, grumbling about the fact that he shouldn’t have come here in the first place.

“Because he needs a friend like Oda again. To keep him together.” He paused. _That’s bullshit, _said the voice_._ _And you know that._

_Oh yes, I know._ Chuuya thought. _But like hell if I care._

“I don’t think Dazai would w-”

“He wouldn’t but I am not saying you should make it obvious. Just try to understand him sometimes.” _Well, that’s something I haven’t done at least._ “Even though he is a real pain in the ass. And you will have a chronic headache probably.” He looked at Kunikida in the eye and saw from his clear eyes that he understood the point Chuuya was trying to make.“But that’s not my problem, I guess.”

“No it is not,” said Kunikida, slowly standing up and placing his hands inside of the pockets of his trousers. “See you around, Nakahara.”

“You will,” mumbled Chuuya but Kunikida didn’t hear him as he was already on his way out. The executive finished what was left from his wine while his mind was drowning again in a sea of deep deep water. 

******

Chuuya was somewhat tipsy when he stood in the open air in front of the door of the bar he just came out from. The night was tepid with a welcomed breeze that would blow every now and then. Chuuya inhaled deeply and tilted his head backwards as to watch the stars above. The sky was clear safe for the clouds which were spread across the night as white shadows. He considered flying back to home but, well... his mind was a little cloudy too. So that was not a good idea probably.

The young executive closed his eyes and listened to the sounds around. The pedestrians, the cars, cats and dogs, the wind and at last very expectedly...

“The fuck are you doing here?” He was not surprised of course. This was Dazai Osamu after all. And Chuuya had once been his partner for an unlucky length of time.

“Well,” came the voice among the shadows and Chuuya opened his eyes to see the taller man. Dazai walked closer to him for Chuuya to see the annoying smirk on his lips. “The conversation took an interesting route. I just had to check you out. I thought you were heavily injured or something. To talk so nicely about me...”

Chuuya squinted at first. Trying to figure out exactly what Dazai was implying. It didn’t take him long enough though. The executive opened his eyes unbelievingly when it finally hit him. “Shit,” he muttered. “You fucking did not.”

“Oh, but I _did_.” The smirk on his lips grew impossibly bigger as he took something out of his trench coat’s pocket. Chuuya didn’t know why he was so surprised to see that it was a bug. He should’ve been used to this shit a long time ago.

“He is going to kill you, you know.”

Dazai shrugged. Of course, he did not fucking care. “It was worth it.”

Chuuya clenched his teeth but he was just so tired to bother with this bastard again. He couldn’t even care that Dazai heard all those embarrassing things he said about him. _Shit_, that was bad but there was no undoing now. So he just let out an annoyed growl and turned around to leave. He dared to hope, just slightly and no one could blame him it was just an honest wish, that Dazai wouldn’t follow. However, it was in vain. The lanky man started to walk behind him almost simultaneously.

“So you are not surprised I knew you two were meeting?”

“No,” said Chuuya shortly. “I figured you would eventually find out but even I didn’t expect you would dare to put a bug on Kunikida. It is low but your courage impressed me.”

Dazai chuckled. It was sincere and was not a sound Chuuya was familiar with. Especially not from Dazai.

“You impressed me too, Chibi,” said Dazai. He was still walking behind Chuuya. Hehold himself back from punching Dazai at the familiar nickname. “I didn’t know you cared so much about me.”

“I really don’t,” said Chuuya trying to sound as convincing as possible. Although it was hard considering that Dazai had heard everything. But he took his chance anyway. “I just don’t want you to be my fucking problem again.”

“Hmmn, should I believe that?”

“I don’t give a shit. Just leave me the fuck alone bastard. Don’t you have more important things to do? Like hanging down from a bridge or something?”

“Ouch, Chuuya. I thought you cared about me.”

“I just told you I didn’t, asshole. And isn’t it something you enjoy anyway?”

“Maybe,” Dazai said leaving the question open ended.

They kept silent for a while and it almost made Chuuya uncomfortable. He did not like the tone of Dazai’s voice when he said that last word. Guilt crawled inside of his stomach. The guilt which he had been oppressing, repressing and ignoring for a really really long time. Maybe it was stupid of him to feel like this, it was probably, but he just couldn’t help himself.

Chuuya stopped walking all of a sudden. With an instantaneous decision he turned to Dazai yet he couldn’t look at the man’s eyes.

“Oi Dazai,” he said staring at Dazai’s trench-coat. The coat was different from which he had worn in the mafia. It was black back then. The change in his clothes looked simple although the meaning behind it was way more complicated. Symbolical even, if one looked deep enough to see. “I’m... I’m sorry.” The fact that he actually managed to spill out these words made him surprised. He took a quick breath. “I couldn’t... couldn’t see...” _The reason why your eyes looked so lifeless, so much so that they had no life in them. Nothing to hold on to._

“Chuuya.” Dazai seemed to understand the struggle Chuuya was having with the words he left unspoken. _Of course he did_. His tone was somewhat amused when he said his name but the look in his eyes was decisive and soothing at the same time. “The reason why Oda was able to help me was because he wasn’t anything like me or you in that case. He had hope that one day he would leave all those bloodshed behind. He had such hope that it made him stop killing. Although if he wanted he would even be one of the executives. He had life, light and hope yet at the end that was what killed him. Don’t be sorry. You couldn’t have helped me even if you’d see.”

“I’m not like you,” said Chuuya immediately. Deep down he knew that it was definitely not the right thing to say. But the self-defending mechanism in his system was much more potent than his conscience. Yet it was true that the honesty in Dazai’s words had startled him. He just didn’t want that bastard to know.

Dazai smiled slightly with one corner of his mouth crawling a little. His posture showed the answer Chuuya gave was not a shock to him. _Of fucking course._ “You are not, but not because killing means anything different to you but because the Port Mafia does. You can’t leave it behind. This is what makes you different from me. I didn’t care about the mafia, so betraying it really didn’t matter to me. But it would to you.”

The solid fact that Dazai knew him so well didn’t surprise him. It was to be expected after all those years they had spent together. Chuuya was not a hidden box, not a man who was a complete mystery even to himself. As opposed to the man standing in front of him.

“To be clear Chuuya,” continued Dazai. “It is your curse to be so loyal. But you love what you have and I love what I have so it doesn’t make any difference actually.”

Chuuya stared cautiously into his eyes. Into that dark brown in which hundreds, thousands of secrets were hidden and now glinting with a spark of amusement yet once had been as dead as the stones in a cold cemetery.

“I hate traitors you know, Dazai. I can’t be one of them.”

“I know _partner_. You don’t need to.” He smiled almost softly. “We should drink together sometime.”

He felt relaxed with the change of the subject and nearly felt himself smiling too. “Yeah sure.”

“You’re going home?”

Chuuya nodded and turned around to start walking again. “I’ll see you later.”

But instead of bidding his farewell Dazai too started walking behind him again.

“I really shouldn’t bother but may I ask the reason why the fuck you are following me again?”

“I’m not following you Chuuya. I’m taking care of you.”

“And why the hell is that?”

“I can’t let you go all the way to your home by yourself, Chibi. You are drunk.”

Chuuya felt his tension rising again. It was clearly impossible to have a decent conversation with this bastard more than a few minutes. “Stop fucking calling me that. And you are going to take care of me?” He asked unbelievingly. “You left me sleeping on the ground after I used fucking _C__orruption_, asshole. And I am not drunk.”

“But Chuuya, you were sleeping so peacefully, I just couldn’t bring myself to disturb you.”

Chuuya snorted at that obvious lie. “My ass.”

In spite of his ridiculous blabbering, Dazai laughed too. Chuuya felt like something inside himself just clicked to the right spot. Like it found the place it was supposed to be all those years ago. He felt relieved, at ease and even content.

“Do you have sake?”

Grateful that Dazai was not able to see him Chuuya smiled and nodded. The night was young and long enough to make it to the morning alone. “Yes,” he said. “I do.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Please do let me know in the comments about what you think. ^^


End file.
